Untitled
by Gamergirl87
Summary: Karen gets a very deadly disease. Jack must find a cure for her before it's too late.
1. The Journey to Mineral Village

### Chapter 1: The Journey to Mineral Village

  


I was sitting in my apartment in the city when I had a call from my girlfriend named Joanna.  
"Hello?" I answered the phone.  
"Hi Jack, we need to talk." she said.  
"Hey Joanna, what about?" I asked.  
"Well, I don't think it's working out between us." she stated.  
I was in shock.  
"What? Why, we're perfect!" I exclaimed.  
"Yes, we're too perfect. There's nothing new in our relationship, I'm sorry Jack." said Joanna, and with that, she hung up.  


I sat there dumfounded for 10 minutes. I really liked Joanna. I was distraught and didn't know what to do. I had moved away from my parents to be with Joanna when she visited my old hometown, now she had left me and I didn't have a purpose to live in Green City anymore. I had made my decision, so I packed all my belongings into a single suitcase, turned in my apartment key, and set out to the docks.  


When I got to the docks, I saw that the ferry was just leaving. "Great," I thought to myself. I bought a one way ticket to a small farming village across the bay. I had heard it was a very calming place to live, full of nice people. I went into the pub and got a drink while I waited for the ferry to come. A half an hour later, the ferry arrived. I picked up my suitcase and walked on board.  


On the ferry, I was only one of two people going to Mineral Village. The other was a young man with red hair. I walked over to him and tried to make small talk.  
"Hello there, my name is Jack, what's yours?" I asked.  
"Oh hi, I'm Rick." he responded, then turned his back to me.  
"So, you visiting Mineral Village?" I asked.  
"No, actually I live there," he responded, turning around to face me.  
"Oh you do, do you own a farm?" I asked curiously.  
"No, I own a poultry farm with my mom and sister Popuri." he explained.  
"Oh, that sounds interesting. Do you make meat or something?" I questioned.  
"Oh no, nothing like that," Rick replied laughing, "We sell chickens to the local farmers."  
"That sounds profitable." I said.  
"Not really, once someone buys a chicken they usually hatch their own. Our profit comes mainly from selling chicken feed." he shrugged.  
"Ok, I think I get it. So, are there any job openings at Mineral Village?" I asked.  
"Um..I'm not sure, I think the Inn is hiring, maybe the vineyard. There is an old farm that an old man used to live on, he recently passed away. They are planning on tearing it down." he said.  
"Really? A farm? Is it in good condition? Has anyone claimed it?" I asked, I had an idea.  
"Well, no one has claimed it. No one has _wanted_ to claim it though. It's in terrible condition. The field is covered in weeds." he replied.  
"Well, I'll talk to the Mayor." I said.  


After my little discussion with Rick, I walked over to a bench on the ferry and sat down. I was tired, but excited. I hoped that no one had claimed the farm, and that they would allow me to run it.  


The ferry arrived at the village an hour later. I walked off the ferry and onto the beach. I saw a young girl with pink hair. I was curious about her hair, but thought it would be rude to say anything about it.  
"Hello!" said the girl.  
"Hi..." I replied.  
"Oh pardon me! I'm so rude! My name is Popuri, what's yours?" she said quickly.  
"I'm Jack. Nice to meet you. I think I met your brother, Rick?" I said.  
"Yeah, that's my brother. He's a little over protective if you ask me, but I love him all the same."  
"That's good. So, where's the mayor?" I asked.  
"He's right over there," said Popuri, pointing to a short man with odd hair.  
"Thanks," I replied, walking towards the man.  
"Hi there, are you the Mayor?" I asked.  
"Yes, I suppose that would be me." he replied.  
"Ok, I have a question. I was wondering...is anyone taking over the farm I have heard about? If not, could I take over?" I said, getting straight to the point.  
"Well, we were planning on selling it to make an amusement park, but...since this is a farming village, and someone finally wants to take it over, sure you can!" he said.  
"Great! Can you show me where it is?" I asked.  
"Surely." replied the Mayor.  


The Mayor led me through the Town Square, down a road and into the farm. It was very large, and also in terrible condition. Rick was right, weeds were covering the ground. Other than the weeds, the farm wasn't in too bad a shape. He showed me the various buildings, then left me. I decided to go meet some people.  


I walked through the village and random villagers walked up and introduced themselves. I had met 2 girls already, Mary and Popuri. Neither were to my liking, but I figured there had to be one girl I would like. As I walked towards the supermarket, I saw a girl my age run from the Inn and behind the supermarket. I followed her.  


I followed her through a clearing then into the woods, she was running. I ran after her and she suddenly tripped and landed, sprawled on the ground. I ran to her side.  
"Oh my gosh are you ok?" I asked out of breath.  
"Who are you?" she asked coldly.  
"I'm Jack, I'm new here." I responded.  
"Oh well Jack. Get out of here." she said, standing up and running away.  


She didn't seem very friendly, so I didn't want to bother with her anymore. I walked away and I heard a sigh. I turned around.  
"I'm...sorry." said the girl.  
"Oh, don't worry about it. I understand it's a bad time." I replied casually.  
"No...no really. I had no reason to act like that to you." she insisted.  
"Ok...I accept your apology." I replied.  
"Good. My name is Karen, what's yours?" she asked.  
"I'm Jack...I'm taking over the farm." I said.  
"Ok Jack. Well, I guess I'll see you around!" she said, skipping off towards her house.  


I walked back to my farm feeling happy. Karen seemed nice after all. I decided that I'd probably better go to bed, since I was to wake up at 6 in the morning. I fell asleep and dreamt of Karen.  


The next morning I woke up to a start with a light sweat on my forehead.. I had a very awkward, yet scary dream. I dreamt that Karen and I had been engaged, and there was a dark cloud around her. The dark cloud was black as night, and she had a mournful expression on her face. Her eyes real depth-less and she was like a wandering soul. I tried to get through to her, yet she did not answer.  


I tried to forget the dream as I did my chores. Since I only had two crops planted, I only had to water them. I fed my dog and talked to the young pony that Barley, who lived on the Yodel Ranch, had given me. I had named the pony Apola, and my dog Otis.  


I was just about to walk to the mountain to forage for herbs or something when I heard a soft crunching in the grass. I turned around to see Karen walking up. A sudden feeling from my dream came, but I urged it away and put on a smile. I approached her and waved.  
"Hey there Karen." I said.  
"Hiya Jack. How are you doing this beautiful morning?" she asked politely. She was trying to make up for being so curt to me the other day.  
"I'm doing wonderfully, you?" I asked, trying to get on the same level she was on.  
"I'm great. So, have you finished your chores?" she asked, bowing her head and looking down at her feet.  
"Yeah, I was just going to walk in the mountain. Would you like to come?" I said, holding out my arm.  
"Ok!" she said, taking my arm.  


We walked towards the mountain arm in arm. We could smell the dew on the fresh grass, it hadn't yet been stepped on. We talked about things like her parent's store and my hopes for the farm. She seemed very interested in everything I said, and looked me in the eyes the whole time. I felt awkward, and in a way naked, like she could just know what I was thinking, but I tried not to let it bother me.  


Pretty soon we had walked up to the lake. Karen urged me to sit down with her, so I did. We watched the lake ripple in the light breeze, and attempted to skip rocks, although it didn't exactly work. We were having a great time, until a man walked up.  
"KAREN. Where have you been?" he screamed.  
"Jeff..please!" she whined.  
"Don't call me Jeff, I'm your father!" he roared.  
"Dad..." she said in an urging voice, nodding her head towards me.  
"I don't care if you are on a date or not! You are coming home and helping unpack our shipment!" he screamed.  
Karen turned a bright red, then moaned and stood up. "Gosh Dad, you are such a party pooper!"  


Karen and her father stormed off, so I was left sitting down. I decided I'd gather things so I did and made a few bucks. I was rather poor, but I knew once my first harvest came in, I'd be making more money.  
  



	2. Lovely Karen

Chapter 2: Lovely Karen

  


It had been a few days since I had last seen Karen. I decided that morning after I finished chores to go see her. I hurriedly did my chores, then walked off down the village road. On my way past the Library, I bumped into a guy. It was Rick.  
"Well hey there Rick, haven't seen you for a while." I said.  
"Hi Jack, can't talk now, busy." he said, starting to walk.  
"Wait," I called out, running next to him, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"  
"Um...Karen's house, need to uh...pick up some flour." he stuttered. "Riiight," I said, "Well, gotta run bye!"  


I ran down the road to Karen's house and knocked on the door.  
"Hi Jack!" said Karen smiling as she opened the door.  
"Hi Karen," I grinned back.  
Just then, Rick ran up.  
"JACK. You back stabber! I'll...I'm going to...tell...um..." he started.  
"Tell who, your mom?" I joked.  
Rick scowled, and I quickly stopped laughing. "Oh Rick, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. We aren't dating! We never have, and never will!" sighed Karen.  
"Please Karen, what are you saying? I thought we were friends!" pleaded Rick.  
"Yeah we are! Nothing more, nothing less! Now beat it!" she yelled, pointing away from the Supermarket.  
Rick walked home, dragging his feet along the way.  
"Smooth talking," I murmured in her ear.  
"Thank," she giggled, "It's more of a skill I've perfected...every day he gives me practice."  
"You'd think he'd give up," I said.  
"Yeah, but I sort of like the attention, even if that's all it's good for..." she sighed.  
"Yeah, I guess." I said.  
"So, come in!" she urged.  


I walked into her small yet cozy home. It smelled of sticky buns, and I peered into the Kitchen. I saw Karen's mother I guessed cooking. I looked a little closer and saw she was indeed making sticky buns, and without thinking I started to drool.  
"Oh, hello! You must be Jack, oh Karen's been talking about you non stop!" said her mother.  
"Mother!" said Karen.  
"Oh, excuse me, my name is Sasha." she said, wiping her hand off then holding it out.  
I shook her hand, "Pleasure to meet you Sasha," I said as I kissed her hand.  
"Oh, he is a nice fellow!" squealed Sasha.  
"Yeah.." said Karen.  
"He's a keeper!" whispered Sasha to Karen, even though I could hear every word.  
"Oh, pardon me for being rude. Would you like a sticky bun? They're fresh out of the oven!" said Sasha, holding out a plate.  
"Yes please," I said, taking one and taking a bite, "These are delicious!"  
"Yes, they're my moms specialty," piped in Karen.  
"Well, my compliments to the chef," I said winking.  
Sasha grinned then continued making more sticky buns.  
"Uh Jack, let's go...outside!" said Karen.  
"But....I want.." I started.  
"Ok, so you want to go to my room?" said Karen, dragging me to her room.  


We walked into her room and she locked it behind her.  
"Sorry, my mom is an eavesdropper, and I wanted to talk to you!" she explained.  
"It's ok!" I said.  
"Good, soo.." she said.  
"Well, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked curiously.  
"Well, I might as well say it," she said, biting her fingernail, "Jack, ever since you talked to me in the woods that day, I've sort of had a uh...crush."  
This was music to my ears.  
"A crush...? On me? Really?" I asked again, to make sure.  
"Yeah, don't make it harder than it is!" she said playfully punching my arm.  
"Wow.." I said smiling, "I sort of...like you too I guess."  
"You guess? Thanks..." she said glumly.  
"No! I didn't mean it like that, I like you...a lot." I quickly said.  
Karen's face beamed and she hugged me.  
"Wow, this never happened to me! I mean, someone I liked liking me!" she squealed.  
"Yeah, it's nice isn't it.." I said, suprised this hadn't happened to her.  
***Knock Knock Knock*** "WHO IS IT?" yelled Karen.  
"It's Sasha, please come to dinner, and bring your friend!" said Sasha in a perky voice.  
"Ok!" said Karen, dragging me to the table.  


I thought to myself, if dinner was anything like the sticky buns, then I'd be in luck. We sat down at the table, and I saw Jeff and Sasha talking. Karen and I held hands under the table. I felt weird, I had just met Karen, yet we were already going out. I felt sorrow for Rick, he was in love with Karen, and in one day I had managed to get her to like me.  


After dinner, I was really tired, so I said goodnight to Karen and company and walked home. Walking home I felt a brief chill. I brushed it off and got home safely. I soon was in my house and I fell asleep. The same dream came to me that had when I first met Karen...  


I woke up the next morning, glad to be out of that dream. I walked out and did my chores, then walked to Karen's house. I had to tell her.  
"Hi Karen," I said, walking in the house.  
"Hi Jack! I was just about to come see you!" she said, giving me a kiss.  
"Yeah, I need to talk with you." I said.  
"Sure, what about?" she asked happily.  
"Well, lately, I've been dreaming about you. They aren't good dreams though. I dream we are somehow involved together. Sometimes we are dating, sometimes married, sometimes engaged, it changes. Every time though, I try and talk to you, and you're so...distant. There's a large black cloud around you, and your eyes look...different. Do you know what this could mean?" I explained carefully.  
I looked at Karen's face and she looked bewildered.  
"Maybe you havn't been sleeping well, it's probably just some bogus dream," she said.  
"Yeah...maybe..." I replied.  


We went for a walk, then we had lunch at the Inn. I met a girl named Ann, and after she served us, she ran upstairs with a man who looked like a hobo. I assumed he was Cliff, I had heard Karen's parents talking about him and Ann. After lunch, we walked back to the Supermarket. Karen had to help her parents unload some shipments. I said goodbye then walked off.  
  



	3. Making A New Life

h3>Chapter 3: Making a New Life ****NOTE:**I skip a period of time here because Karen and Jack's relationship at this point is not important!**  


It had been a few months since Karen and I had started dating. We were very serious, and spent most of our free time together. Rick had gotten over the fact he had no chance with Karen, and he now supported our relationship. It was the day I was ready...  
"Karen...can we talk?" I asked quietly, as I walked into her house.  
"Sure!" smiled Karen, "What's with the serious face?"  
"This...is a serious matter." I responded.  
The smile on Karen's face dropped.  
"What's wrong?" she asked in a hushed voice.  
I got down on one knee. "Karen, will you marry me?"  


Tears flowed down her cheeks like a silent river. She grasped my hand tightly, and leaned down to kiss me. She took the ring out of the box I had been holding towards her, and glently placed it on her finger. I knew her answer obviously, and I stood up and held her in my arms. She was shaking, but as I held her she slowly stopped. I rubbed her back and played with her soft, silky hair in my hands.  
"Oh Jack, I love you." she said.  
"I love you too, Karen." I replied.  


We set the wedding for the next Sunday, and the week rolled by. We had so many things to keep us occupied, we had no time to be nervous. We had to send out invitations, make arrangements about the afterparty, buy dresses and things, it was so stressful  


Soon, however, it was Sunday. I ran to the church and walked up to my place where I was to stand. I waited and finally the music started. I watched as Jeff walked Karen down the aisle. May was our flowergirl, and she walked a few feet ahead of the procession. I watched my bride-to-be walk along, she was so beautiful in her wedding dress.  


Before I knew it, she was standing next to me. We listened to the priest, then it came time...  
"Do you, Jack, take Karen to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to serve, in sickness and in health?"  
"I do.." I stuttered.  
"And do you, Karen, take Jack to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to serve, in sickness and in health?"  
"I do," beamed Karen.  
"I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."  


We kissed, then we walked down the aisle. We entered the Inn and had our party. We were so happy and loved each other so much. We left before the party was over and went to my house. We had a nice dinner that I cooked, then we fell asleep.  


The next morning was bright and sunny. I woke up next to Karen, and I got up to dress. I did my chores, and by the time I was finished, Karen was up and dressed. She strolled out and took a deep breath.  
"I love the smell of farms! Really feels like your in the nature, ya know?" she said.  
"Yeah, it's beautiful." I said, staring at her.  
She blushed, knowing I was talking about her, and ran over to kiss me.  
"You know, when you proposed to me, I thought you were going to dump me!" she giggled.  
"Really? I'm sorry!" I said.  
"It's ok! Don't worry about it, I'm glad, it made it even more of a suprise." she smiled.  
"Do you want to go walk on the beach?" I asked.  
"Yes, I'd love that!"  


We walked to the beach and walked just out of the reach of the waves. We didn't talk, just walked together, occasionally looking at each other. I knew that I had found true love, but yet, something kept coming up in my mind. It was the dream... I had tried to forget it, but I couldn't. I hadn't thought about it for a few weeks, but now it seemed stronger than ever. I told Karen that I didn't feel well, and she suggested I go to the Clinic. I told her it was just a headache, and we started to walk home.  


My sleep that night was restless. I had the same dream, except now it was more painful, more vivid. Now, instead of Karen ignoring me, she was screaming, crying for my help. Her face writhed with pain, and she struggled to break free of the black cloud. I couldn't help her. There was now a shiny silvery piece of something on a hill. I was climbing to get it, I needed it, for what was unknown. Every time I got close to it, within my grasp, I would fall, or be pulled away...  
"KAREN!" I yelled, waking up.  
"Jack, what is it? What's wrong?" said Karen, waking up with a startle from my shout.  
"Y-You were...stuck...I couldn't, help you." I struggled to tell her.  
"Jack," said Karen, rubbing my back, "Please don't let this get to you! It's just a bad dream, I'm here, I'm ok. I'm always right here next to you."  
She held my hand, and eventually I fell asleep.  


The next morning I woke up. We went through our routine of farm work, then went for a walk in the woods. As I walked past a small grove of trees, I had a feeling of dej‡ vu, like I had been there before. I shook it off and continued to hold Karen's hand. She was safe...  
  



	4. If Only...

Chapter 4: If only...  


I held Karen's hand tightly, as if something or someone were trying to steal her from me. She held my hand tightly too, she knew I had been having restless nights, and that this dream was troubling me. She tried to be supportive, but I knew she was worried about my mental health. We walked along the mountain until we stopped.  
"Aww, the poor thing." said Karen, pointing to a hurt rabbit.  
"Well, should we help it?" I asked.  
"Of course, we can't let it suffer!" said Karen.  


I watched as Karen knelt down next to the rabbit. She slowly moved her hand towards the rabbit to pick it up.  
"OUCH" said Karen, as the rabbit bit her.  
"Stupid Rabbit!" I said, forgetting my conscience and throwing a rock at it.  
"Karen, are you ok?" I said, running over next to her.  
"Yeah, it just really hurts." said Karen.  


Her arm had been bitten by the rabbit. The bit had gone deep, and her arm was gushing blood. I rushed her to the clinic. As we arrived, Elli almost fainted when she saw Karen. The doctor quickly got a towel and applied pressure to it. The bleeding soon slowed down, and the Doctor could wash her bite.  
"Karen, what happened?" asked the Doctor.  
"Well, we found an injured rabbit. I went to pick it up, and it bit me." said Karen.  
"Yes, animals can be very defensive. It was probably attacked and was afraid you were the attacker." said the Doctor.  
"Will she be ok?" I asked, a concerned look on my face.  
"Oh yeah, she'll be fine. Just a little bandage here, tape there, yes. Presto! Your ready to go!" he said.  
"Thank you Doctor." said Karen.  
"Anytime!"  


We walked home and ate dinner. Karen complained that the wound was itchy, I told her it was probably just the medication the doctor had applied to it. We fell asleep that night, and slept well.  
"Jack...come here." said Karen, calling to me from the kitchen.  
"What is it?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head.  
"Look at this." she said, motioning to her cut.  


The cut had turned a deep green. There was a scab on it, but it was black. The green was splotchy and covered all the skin surrounding the scar.  
"This can't be normal, let's check this out at the Clinic," I suggested.  
"No no, I'm sure it's fine. He told me it might swell up and get a little infected, I just need to leave it be." she said.  
"You sure?" I asked.  
"Yes." she said, wrapping it back up.  


Later that day, I walked into the Clinic. Karen didn't know I was going, but I had to ask the Doctor what was going on.  
"Green you say?" he asked for the third time.  
"Yes, green." I replied.  
"Hmm.." he said, scratching his chin, "never heard of that before. I'll have to look it up, give me a few days."  
"All right," I said, walking out.  


I walked to the Inn and found Ann and Cliff running upstairs. I decided to find out what they were doing all this time. I opened a door and could not believe my eyes...  


They were reading comic books!  
"Oh, JACK" said Ann, quickly hiding the book.  
"Uh..Jack, you won't tell, will ya?" asked Cliff, the hobo.  
"Tell what?" I asked.  
"About...these!" said Ann, holding up a comic.  
"No...why would I tell, I've read them before." I said confusedly.  
"Oh, thanks!" they said in unison.  


I walked out of the Inn confused. Here I was thinking something totally wrong, when all they were doing was reading! I felt stupid. I walked down the beach and found May, a little girl who lived at the Yodel Ranch.  
"Well, hello there May." I said, walking over to her.  
"Hello Mr. Jack." she replied.  
"How are you?" I asked.  
"I'm good thank you for asking. I heard about Karen, hope her arm feels better!" she said.  
"You mean better?" I asked, I was always told to help her correct her talking errors.  
"Yes, that's what I meant, well, is it ok, I want to be alone!" she said.  
"Sure, sure" I said, walking off.  


I walked along, talking occasionally to bypassing villagers. Everyone it seemed had heard about Karen, I assumed Elli had told the world.  


When I walked home, I found Karen watching TV. She was hugging her arm, and was watching a TV show called "The Fairy and Me". I walked over to her and stroked her hair.  
"Karen, are you ok?" I asked quietly.  
"What? Yeah, yeah, I'm...I'm great." she stuttered.  
"No you aren't, you must go to the Doctor." I urged.  
"Jack, these things come and go, i'll be fine." she persisted.  
"Karen, I hate to do this..." I said with a hint of sorrow in my voice.  


I grabbed Karen against her will and dragged her to the Doctors. I didn't mean to be so forceful, but she was getting worse and I knew she needed help, even if she wouldn't admit it. We walked into the Clinic, and the Doctor rushed up. He took the bandages off of Karen's arm and examined the wound.  
"Oh my, why didn't you show me this before." he said, staring in disbelief at her arm.  


Karen's arm had now turned green and a hot pink color. The scab was as big as ever, almost like it was growing. Karen couldn't look, her face turned green, but she turned her head away.  
"Doctor, what is it?" I asked urgently.  
"I'm not sure...I've heard of it, but it can't be...in Mineral Village?" he said...mostly to himself.  
"WHAT IS IT?" I screamed now, shaking the doctor.  
"*ahem*. It is MultroPliad Corleta...or in other words, she has somehow contracted a disease from that rabbit." he said.  


I couldn't understand the whole multo-mumbo jumbo, but I understood disease, and rabbit. Before I could think I ran to the mountain. The rabbit was still alive and sitting there. My rage had taken me over, and I pulled at my sickle and killed the rabbit. I washed and disinfected my sickle, then ran to the Clinic.  
"It won't hurt anybody now..." I said solemnly.  
"Jack..." started the Doctor.  
"So, how do we treat this disease?" I asked.  
"Jack that's the thing...you can't." said the Doctor.  
"What do you mean we can't. Of course we can! What are you talking about?" I asked.  
"Well, you can...but...it requires a special flower and herb. You mix them together and apply them to the wound every day for a week, and it rids the body of the disease. However...these things are not easily come by. The flower is named Thalay's Flower and the herb I think is named the Herb of Mutla. No one has ever seen them...but it is known that ancient civilizations used it for this very disease." he said.  


I tried to follow as best I could, and I asked the Doctor to write down where these things were. I knew what I had to do. I had to seek out Thalay's Flower, and the Herb of Mutla, and bring them back to my beloved Karen.  
"I have to find them..." I whispered.  
"Jack, there is one thing." said the Doctor.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Karen, she only has a year to live..." said the Doctor, whispering in my ear.  
"A year..." said Karen suddenly, "That's not that long of a time..."  
"Karen, it will be ok. I'm going to cure you." I said.  
"No you won't...No one can, I'm going to...die." said Karen.  
"No Karen, have faith in me!" I said, crying now.  
"How can I? You heard what he said. No one had ever seen these things!" she said, crying with me now.  
"Karen...my dream." I said, "This is my dream. The black cloud was this disease...It's tearing us apart, don't let it."  
"Well, you will probably find another wife after me, no trouble there, you player." said Karen.  
The doctor took me aside.  
"Don't listen to her, she's having hallucinations, she doesn't know what she's saying." he said.  
"Thank you." I replied.  


I left Karen in the Clinic. The Doctor advised it would be best if Karen stayed at the Clinic...everyday. Karen protested, but finally stayed. I walked out and looked for someone who could help me in my journey. Someone who had been places...  
"Cliff." I said, as I walked into the Inn's rooms.  
"Hi Jack." said Cliff. He had a new-found respect for me, since I now held their secret.  
"I need your help." I stated.  
"With what? Farm work?" he asked.  
"No..." I said, "Karen is going to die in one year from a disease. If I don't find Thalay's Flower, and the Herb of Mutla, then she will die."  
Cliff had a look of disbelief on his face.  
"You can't be serious? How would we find them?" he murmured.  
"Yes, will you aid me in my journey or not?" I asked.  
"Yes. I will. For Karen, and for you." he said.  


Cliff kissed Ann goodbye, then we walked off to get supplies. I was forced to tell Sasha and Jeff of Karen, and they were hysterical. They offered me food, supplies, rope, etc. Cliff and I were ready to go the next morning...  
  



	5. Setting Off

Chapter 5: Setting Off

  


The night rolled by, and we woke up at 4 AM. We didn't want anyone saying goodbye to us, it would be too painful. We silently crept to the docks, and there was a ferry waiting for us. It was to take us to the Isle of Morova, where we would rest and then take a ship to the Continent to the east. No one had really been there ever, but a chain of mountains lay there, and numerous valleys and cave. I hoped one of these landscapes would hold what we were searching for. We proceeded onto the Ferry, setting our packs down.  
"I can't believe I'm doing this." said Cliff.  
"Thank you, friend..." I said, patting him on the back, "This means a lot to me, if at any time you wish to turn back, your are free to do so."  
"I won't turn back," he said.  


The rest of the voyage was in silence. Not even the sea birds were out that early in the morning. We heard the waves splashing against the side of the ferry, softly and rhythmically. Occasionally we heard a small fish leap out of the water and splash back in. For how long we were in the boat, I did not know. My mind was on Karen, and the Flower we seeked.  
"We have arrived." said the Captain.  


Cliff and I picked up our gear and exited the Ferry. We walked to a small Inn and rented a room, since it was 9PM already. We fell fast asleep, and awoke at 6AM. We walked outside and got a small breakfast, then head down to the Docks. Our ferry, again, was waiting for us.  
"Just so ye' know. We will be at the Continent of Ulsty in 3 days. Once there, you must quickly exit and run into the nearest building, you never know what wild animals are lurking around." the captain said.  


Great, I thought. We would still have to wait a few days before starting our journey.  


The boat ride was long. We spent our time talking about our plans and where we should go first. I had planned on immediately setting off to the mountain as soon as we arrived, but Cliff said this was ill advised. He suggested that we wait a few days and find out all we could, then set off. I agreed, yet I had a strange feeling about Cliff. He seemed so willing to help, yet I had only met him the other day.  
"Cliff, why are you helping me," I asked suddenly.  
"You seemed so desperate." he shrugged.  
"Oh.." I replied, then we didn't talk.  


The trip dragged on. A day passed in silence, with only a bird calling once in a while. I felt terrible about Cliff. He pitied me, which was the only reason he had joined me. Many times I started to tell him that he should turn back, but he refused. He said he had been meaning to leave the village soon anyways, and that he didn't turn on his word.  


Another night rolled in. Dark clouds started to form in the western sky, and the captain ordered us to go down below the ship. We did as told, and within a few minutes, a torrential downpour started. We heard the captain shouting orders left and right. He told some to take down the sails, others to bring all cargo below deck. He rushed down, soaking wet, and advised us to put on life-jackets and to hold onto something sturdy.  
"It's only rain, isn't it?" I asked.  
The captain had a concerned look on his face.  
"Well, it's a little more than that. No need to worry though, this is a sturdy ship, she'll pull through."  


This did nothing to ease my nerves. We put on life jackets and I held on to a wooden pole.  
"What an adventure this is turning out to be, eh?" remarked Cliff, he had an eery smile on his face.  
"Adventure? More like a nightmare!" I said, starting to feel a bit queasy.  


Suddenly, the ship lurched. I lost my grip and was flung into the side. The captain ran down the stairs, a flood of water following him.  
"Out of the boat! Out of the boat! She's sinking!" he yelled.  


I looked around me. There was already 2 inches of water on the ground, and it was rising at an increasingly fast rate. I ran to the stairs and slipped. I landed in what was now a foot of water. I felt a hand grab my shirt and pick me up. It threw me on the deck and I looked up. Cliff.  
"Thanks!" I said.  
"Don't mention it." he said, then he ran off to the lifeboat.  


I ran after him but slipped again. This time, no one was there to save me. I slide down the stairs and below the deck. I was submerged in water, there was only a foot of air left. I quickly swam towards the stairs. I was almost there when.....*boom*  


The door closed. I tried in vain to open it, but it was to no avail. I pulled with all the strength I could muster, but it was no use. I screamed, I could barely breathe. Then I was completely submerged in the water...  
  


********Dream Sequence********

  


I was in a small cave. I looked all around me. There was water everywhere, yet I could breathe and talk normally in it. I looked over to a rock, there was a girl.  
"Hello?" I called out.  
"Come closer." the girl said.  
It was Karen...  
"Karen!" I yelled, running towards her. She shook her head.  
"You can't touch me, or I'll be gone. I have to tell you something." she said.  
"What...what do you mean gone? What, please tell..." I said.  
"It's....*muffled talk*....he.....*more muffled talk*....be careful..." she said.  


Something was trying to keep her from talking. She was struggling to talk, but couldn't.  
"Jack, I love you." she managed to whisper.  
"WAIT" I called out.  


I lunged at her, to try and grab her, but she disappeared before I could get to her. I was left bewildered at what I had just observed. Then I woke up.  
  


********End of Dream Sequence********

  


I was floating to the bottom of the ship. All of a sudden the ship crashed into something, bubbles rushed up in a frenzy, and I opened my eyes. I saw a rock had poked a hole in the side of the hull, just enough for me to swim through. I swam through with just a little leeway, then slowly but surely made my way up to the surface.  


I broke the surface with a huge gasp. I could barely breathe because the waves kept crashing on top of me. I struggled to look around but all I could see was water in the pitch dark night. I gasped for air, then finally got my hands on a piece of driftwood. I hung onto it for dear life, and just tried to stay afloat. I felt myself getting weaker...and weaker...  
"JACK!" I heard someone say as I was shaken into ice cold water.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Jack, we have to get out of the water." I heard Cliff say now.  
"Ok..." I said, letting Cliff drag me as he quickly swam.  


We were fortunate enough to only be several miles off the coast of Eastern Continent. If we had swam just a hair different then the direction we took, we'd never have found any land. We ran out of the water and up to beach to a small hut. We pounded on the door.  
"Coming, I'm comin'." an Old voice said, "OH! Deary me! You ducklings are soaking wet! Come in! Come in by all means!"  
"Thank you," I said.  
"No need for thanks, you'da done the same thing." she replied.  


The lady gave us a hot bath, then she gave us some warm, dry clothing. We got changed and were immediately served steaming cups of hot cocoa, which we gratefully drank.  
"Thank you so much." I said again.  
"Well...your welcome." replied the old lady, "Oh how rude of me! I'm Anlecia! What are your names?"  
"I'm Jack, and this is my companion and fellow traveler Cliff." I said.  
"Nice to meet you," grunted Cliff.  
"Well, you need rest. I suppose floating asleep out in the freezing rain didn't give you much relief." she said, urging us to a bedroom.  


We walked in and there were 2 fluffy beds. We each got in one and fell asleep.  
  


The next morning, we woke at 8AM. We woke up to a huge breakfast of bacon, sausage, biscuits, pancakes, waffled and strawberries. We ate all we could and complimented Anlecia on her cooking. She said she had had a lot of practice and had been perfecting it over the years, and it showed.  


After breakfast, we were given yet another hot bath, and a spoonful of some wretched medicine to keep us from getting sick. I told Anlecia about Karen and my journey, and she said she had heard of the flower. She said she heard it was in a mountain called Voray's Peak. I lost some of my hope. Finding a flower in a forest is on thing, but on a mountain is a totally different situation. We would need climbing gear and if we lost balance we may fall to our death.  
  
"Are you sure that's where it is?" I asked.  
"Yes. A man came back saying he saw it, but he couldn't reach it." she responded.  
"Oh, I understand." I said solemnly.  
"Well, we better start out and get supplies if we want to save Karen..." I said to Cliff.  
Cliff had a small glare in his eye, which quickly faded, "Right, let's go"  


I figured the glare in his eye was just fear of the mountain. We walked into the nearby town and gathered ropes and other equipment like food, clothing, blankets, and anything else we could carry. We found an eager traveler, who would be passing by the mountain on his way to a neighboring village, who was willing to carry us. We were to start out the next day before dawn.  


The night rolled past. Soon it was time to go. We rose and gathered our things, then we got in the back of the man's cart. We fell asleep, however, not even after 5 minutes after we started. We didn't awake until the man shook us and led us down a road. He pointed to a small path that led into a forest.  
"That's the way to go to get to the mountain. Follow the path through the woods, you can't get lost."  


We thanked the man then walked into the forest.  
  



	6. The Woods Of Layar

Chapter 6: The Woods Of Layar

  


We walked into a deep, thick wood. The path we followed was narrow, only a few feet wide. It wound through clusters of trees and past steep cliffs. The trees were very dense, and seemed to go on forever. We walked alone the path, occasionally hearing a bird chirp or rustling in leaves.  
"How far does this take us?" Cliff suddenly asked.  
"Oh I dunno, a few miles maybe? The Mountain doesn't look too far away. Then we have to hike a few miles to get to Voray's Peak." I shrugged.  
"Oh..." Cliff said, a look of disappointment in his face.  
"What's wrong?" I asked.  
"I can't wait to see Ann again, this will take longer than I had expected." said Cliff.  
"Oh, don't worry, you'll see her again soon." I said, patting him on the back.  
"I hope your right..." sighed Cliff.  


After that conversation, we barely spoke for the next few hours. We had both started missing Ann and Karen, and it made the mission even more urgent. I wondered how Karen was, and if she was even still alive. We had been walking at a slow pace, when I mentioned this to Cliff.  
"Cliff, maybe we should walk faster..." I said.  
"Why, I'm tired, leave me alone." he said.  
"I'll go off by myself if you don't walk faster. Karen is dying, don't you care?" I asked.  
"Not really...I just am thinking." he snapped.  
"Now look here. I didn't force you to come with me, you joined me. That puts you under my orders!" I said.  
"Well, what did you want me to do? Turn you down in front of Ann? I'd look like a rude coward!" he said.  
"So you really aren't doing this to just help me out..." I said, disappointed.  
"Exactly." he said.  


That was the end of our conversation for the next few days. I managed to get Cliff moving faster and we slept only a few hours in the afternoon. We were both dead tired, but I told him once we got to the base of the mountain we would rest.  


On the third day of travel, with only a day of walking ahead of us, Cliff suddenly stopped.  
"Cliff, what's wrong?" I said, running to his side.  
"I...can't go on, you go..." he said.  
"No, I'm not leaving you," I said, letting him lean on me.  


We walked on like this for a while. When I was asking him why he didn't tell me he was that tired, his eyes opened wide with fear.  
"What is it?" I asked.  
"......" Cliff remained silent, shaking.  


I turned around and saw a huge monster. I got stunned with shock. I couldn't move, I was too frightened. Finally, I regained my composure and tried to think of a way to get away from the monster. The monster was quickly running towards us, but was still half a mile away. I thought, and then turned and saw a cave that looked like it wouldn't fit the monster.  
"Cliff, let's go." I said, practically picking him up and running.  


We ran to the cave and inside. The cave was musty and damp. There were small puddles that had probably filled with water decades ago. The rocks looked very old, and the floor was smooth. We ran in and found a large rock to sit on.  
"Wha...what was that?" asked Cliff, bewildered.  
"I have no idea, but we should be safe in here." I replied.  
"I hope your right..."  


We were in the cave only a few moments when we felt a quake in the earth. The monster had found out where we were, and had stomped over to the mouth of the cave. He struggled to squeeze into the cave, but found it to no avail. He finally stuck his arm in it. His arm was scaly. It was extremely large. His hand was humongous, and had five sharp claws attached to it. It swiped angrily at us, each time getting closer and closer to us. We moved back into the cave. Part of the mouth of the cave gave way and the monster was able to move several feet closer. One time, the monster got part of my hair. We moved back even more. As we slowly inched our way, we felt the ground drop considerably under our feet. Finally, in one wrong step, we found ourselves falling...  
*Thud*  
"CLIFF!" I yelled.  


I was crawling around in a small cave. Probably a crevice we had fallen into. The ground was covered in rocks and dirt. I put my hand on a sharp rock and cried out as I pulled it back. I felt around some more until I felt hair. I crawled over and picked up Cliff's head. I could feel blood coming out of his head, and I ripped off part of my shirt to bandage it. I didn't know what to do so I sat there waiting for Cliff to wake up.  
"Ugh..." Cliff moaned, waking up.  
"Cliff, you're ok!" I said.  
"Yeah I guess...my head hurts." he said, feeling the back of his head.  
"Yeah, you took a nasty fall. Well, how do we get out?" I wondered aloud.  
"Good thing I brought this.." said Cliff, pulling out a flashlight.  


He turned on a flashlight and we got a better look at where we were. The cave was not very big, only several feet. There was a small opening where we could see out, and we saw the forest.  
"We'll have to open it up more, we'll never fit," I said.  
"Good idea, let's go," said Cliff, clawing at the rock.  


Luckily it was dirt, and soon we were able to crawl out of the small cave. I took the time to examine Cliff's wound, it was only a small scratch so I figured he didn't need any medical help. We started walking but we had no idea where we were. We saw some lakes and streams and decided to follow them, figuring that they had to come from the mountain.  
"My head kills..." said Cliff all of a sudden.  
"Are you ok?" I asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry." he said.  


We continued walking and after a few more days we came to the base of a large mountain. We stared up in awe at it's height. We decided it'd be best to camp for a day at the base.  
  



	7. Voray's Peak

Chapter 7: Voray's Peak

  


The decision to camp at the base was a wise one, for that night a torrential downpour began. We huddled under a small tree and attempted to keep dry. Cliff had started to turn pale, and I knew something was wrong. He told me it was ok, and that he'd be fine, so I didn't think of turning around.  
"Cliff, isn't there something you can do?" I asked.  
"No, just, if you could make the bandage tighter." he moaned.  
"Sure thing." I said, tightening his bandage.  
"Thanks."  
"Anytime."  


We waited 2 days now, and the rain was everlasting. Finally, as it stopped, we packed up our gear and head out. The first day of traveling was hard. It was slippery and we came close to falling numerous times. As we travelled, we became more accustomed to the ground and were able to stay balanced with more ease. The path became wider, and it was much easier to walk. We were only a few hundred feet high, because it was not a very steep incline. After one more hour of walking, we finally stopped for a break.  



End file.
